4 found crammed in trunk at U.S. checkpoint

CBP K-9 credited for thwarting human-smuggling attempt

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A dangerous find at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection checkpoint, thanks to an alert K-9. Four people were found crammed inside a small trunk in a car trying to cross into the United States.

A CBP Narcotic/Human Detector Dog was roving with a team of officers at the San Ysidro port of entry in San Diego this week, when the dog alerted to the trunk of the vehicle being driven by a 24-year-old U.S. citizen.

When officers opened the trunk, they discovered three females and one male -- all determined to be undocumented Chinese nationals -- with no legal ability to enter the U.S.

“Concealing persons in vehicles is dangerous and could have severe consequences,” said Pete Flores, Director of Field Operations for CBP in San Diego. “San Ysidro CBP officers stopped a violation of our immigration law and were able to resolve the incident safely.”

The four undocumented individuals were taken from the trunk and placed on an immigration hold to initiate removal from the country.

The 24-year-old driver was taken to a correctional facility to await arraignment on federal charges on the human-smuggling attempt.